Since humans first began thinking creatively — as opposed to merely procreatively — about sex, men and women have spiced up their love lives with this and that. Every civilization has come up with its own sex objects and sex toys. From rudimentarily-fashioned objects to the most exquisite ivory carvings of the Far East, eroticism has found expression in a multitude of different forms all displayed here...

Since The Turkish Bath (1863) by the French painter Ingres, the Far Eastern woman has to many been a symbol of pleasures out of reach or forbidden. Seafaring explorers, military adventurers and simple travellers from Europe over the centuries have all been enthralled by the exotic nature of the oriental woman, her foreignness accentuated by the gentle pallor of her skin...

The climax to the act of love casts an indefinable expression on the face — an expression of urgent intensity. A woman, a man, in that moment experiences an ecstasy that for an instant is visible in the eyes and on the lips. A wave of pleasure runs through the body, marking the transition between desire and orgasm...

The poetess Sappho did not, in any way, facilitate the relationship between men and women, with her admirable Ode to Aphrodite which celebrates the love and sexuality between two women. With the liberalization of morals, female homosexuality is part of modern society and cannot be ignored. But what does history retain from these practices? How is the love between women appreciated?...

The “happy-few” aspect of the sadomasochistic relations, the fashions that have had a great impact on the population, make these practices seem somewhat commonplace. A number of magazines and films recount these sexual adventures with complete honesty. The enthusiasts are no longer exceptions. Beyond the stereotypes of women...

Is a kiss the premise of the act or an act in itself? What role do the lips and the tongue play in the lovers’ encounter? What are its means and its uses throughout history and societies? Such are the questions and analyses that Professor Döpp tackles in this book with both talent and intelligence....

How is it that the foot and the toes are credited with such strong sexual connotations? Do they represent something out of the ordinary to the human subconscious? How otherwise could these unremarkable parts of the body seem erotic? And what has their appeal to do with the Eternal Mystery that is Woman? Often left uncovered, in former times when total nudity was forbidden or considered unseemly, the foot and its shape allowed the imaginations of observers to roam wild. The only part of the body of a woman occasionally visible (unlike those visible normally or those never visible normally), it inevitably became a symbol for the whole body, as fantasized. These are the questions to which Hans-Jurgen Dopp here applies himself, supporting his conclusions with a remarkable collection of rare illustrations.